Thursday, April 12, 2012

blinks.

I finally finished writing an article I've been working on for weeks. Just when I thought I had it finished ... I'd open the thing back up and totally change it. I'm grateful that I got to write it. I enjoyed it. I'm excited to share it.

Also, it made my brain cramp.

But in a good way. Like I just ate a Dairy Queen blizzard too fast kind of way. Still, I probably shouldn't try to blog anything serious today. (Because I do that so often...) Instead, I would rather share some blinks with you that I've been saving up. So if you are currently sitting in class and/or bored at work and you need to look busy ... you have come to the right place.

(* I typed "blinks" when I meant to type "links". But I like it, so I'm going to roll with it.)

- Everytime I click over to Katie's tumblr, I end up reading for excessive amounts of time. She does my creative heart good. I mostly just use tumblr to post pictures of my dog, but your tumblrs are like big, ongoing inspiration boards. Love it.

- Author S. Kyle Davis does an awesome breakdown about how JK Rowling plotted a novel. Dang. You know why I find this so encouraging? I love knowing that even JK Rowling had to actually work to make her work seem so flawless. Do any of you fiction writers get that detailed with your plotting? Are you more plotsy or seat-of-your-pantsy?

- And speaking of JK Rowling, did you see that her next novel is ... about Muggles?

- And a most excellent review of The Hunger Games written by my friend, Ruth. Loved this line: "I think being outside of Katniss's head, seeing her in this unfathomable situation, seeing the people gleefully betting on a tribute's odds in the Capitol, seeing the Gamemaker's employees clinically raining horror down on the heads of survivors in the arena --seeingall of this drove home the novel's ripping condemnation of our voyeuristic, desensitized society in a fresh, powerful manner."

- Kristen Tennent's Relevant article,"Waste Time on This, Not That," hit just a little-bitty-bit too close to home ...

- Author Julie Jarnagin wrote a lovely post called Things I Want My Son to Know About Faith. So, so good.

- I recently pinned a picture of a Tea Rex that I bought for my brother. (It's on my Pinterest but you should know that my Pinterest is kind of a hodgepodge looney board.) Tea Rex = the gift that keeps on giving. (Even if nobody I showed it to seemed to think it was as funny as it obviously is...). Are you a tea drinker? I like the idea of being a tea drinker. I just can't bring myself to enjoy tea very much. (Unless I try sample cups at Teavanna. Those are delicious. But then I realize they've blended like seven kinds together to get that flavor, and replicating it at home would cost like $200. There has to be a better way.)

- I have high expectations for this. Tangent: Did you see Brooke Shields when she guested on The Middle? Because she was hilarious.

- Thank you so much, Allyson!! Your blog is adorable. And I am fighting back crazy-go-nuts-jealousy over your trip to Dublin.

- This whole post made my heart ache in a wonderful way, but that last picture? That one did me in. Glory.

And on that note, even though I'm a bit late, I hope you had a lovely weekend. I love that Easter Weekend always happens while the whole world is blooming back to life again. It's like the world can't hold it all in, like it decides the best way to celebrate is to bloom into exactly what it was created to be. This is one of my favorite clips to hear when I'm celebrating Easter (or when I just need a pick-me-up):

I'm grateful for forgiveness and freedom and a Love that's so wild and sacred I'll never be able to describe it. (Even though I'll never stop trying ...).

He is not here; he is risen. Just as he said. (Matthew 28:6)

Best lines in any story, ever.

Happy, happy (late) Easter to you. Do you have any fun Easter traditions with your family? Any fun links you'd like to share (maybe even a link to something you've written lately that you're particularly fond of)?

Whoa. That JK Rowling plotting breakdown is fascinating. I'm more of a plotter-panster hybrid. I know the general story arc but I have no idea what will happen in between. Before each chapter, I think about what needs to happen to get me closer to the climax and go from there. Kind of fun to see where my mind takes me!

links will forever be called blinks in my world. i think that mistake is just ingenius. katie's tumblr is amazing. but i love yours too. have you been to kendall's? it's awesome. mine (itsallaglorioustory.tumblr.com) is random and goofy mostly, i sometimes post beautiful pictures of ballerinas and flowers but usually everything relates to psych, BBC robin hood, or saved by the bell. i'm thinking on bookmarking that JK Rowling plot article, brilliant! and those student question/answers... so funny. and yes, I saw the hunger games and loved it! I really enjoy seeing Haymitch and Seneca, being outside of Katniss's viewpoint.LF

Great post! Thanks for sharing the Hello Giggles article. Thought-provoking, indeed. It's interesting how she notes the whole "whitewashing" thing we do. Heck, I do it, too, which is startling sometimes. I get so used to living in a "white world" that the things I see seem as if they are the norm. I've found that I have to be more intentional when it comes to the things I read, watch. If I don't diversify what I take in, no one is going to do it for me.You've given me lots to think about...and possibly blog about. Thanks, Nat :)

I can't wait to read your thoughts on it! I especially liked when she talked about how easy it is to imagine every character looks like "you" - I am so guilty of doing that when I read! I guess I've always lived vicariously through books, but it's wild to realize that, even with vivid descriptions, I sometimes pictures characters more like me. Slightly unrelated: Last year I was having dinner with some friends and one of them said, "There's the school superintendent". I was like, "What's his name?" And she said, "HER name is ..." I know that's different but somehow I think it relates to this conversation. Why did I automatically assume it was the man she was talking about?! Bizarre how the brain works.

I write. I walk my dog. I wear cowboy boots. I haven't managed to do all three at the same time. Yet. But it could happen! My first novel, A SNICKER OF MAGIC, will be published by Scholastic in 2014. Quirk is highly appreciated here. I hope you'll stick around and say hey :)